Reality is whatever it is. Reality just is. One
of the things that we human beings do as we walk in reality, is that we
are constantly interpreting—making up stories—about reality.

The most basic or "core" stories we tell about reality
are our assumptions—the deep-seated decisions we have made sometime in
our life about the basic way things are. For example, one basic
assumption is, "There is (or, there is not) enough to go around." Or,
“People are basically good (evil).” Or, “The Universe is a friendly
(unfriendly) place.” Or, “I can (cannot) make a difference in changing
the world.”

These basic assumptions form the core stories we tell
ourselves about about reality—and these basic assumptions and core stories profoundly shape our
visions for the future—what we believe is possible to create. And, our
visions, in turn, profoundly shape the actions we take.

In short, everything we do or dream of doing is affected
by the basic assumptions we hold, and the core stories we tell about reality.

To make things more confusing, we don’t usually
articulate clearly our basic assumptions about reality. Indeed, we very often
confuse those basic assumptions about reality with reality itself. This is like
confusing the map with the terrain.

When we disagree with others about
what future visions are possible to achieve, or about what to
do next, our disagreements generally arise from differing assumptions
about reality.

Our purpose here in defining the Assumptions, Visions
and Actions for The Best Game on Earth is to set forth clearly the
current beliefs of The
Game’s founders so that everyone can see our core stories. As The Game
unfolds, and the group wisdom increases, the
Actions, Visions and Assumptions may well be modified. It is our
hope that this will be done
through a collectively-designed process.